At least 4 killed as Florence is downgraded to tropical storm

EPA-EFE / JIM LO SCALZO

At least four people were killed, including a mother and her baby, as hurricane Florence, now downgraded to tropical storm, reached North and South Carolina, threatening them with winds and floods. The storm is expected to keep battering parts of Carolinas into the weekend. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Florence to a tropical storm with maximum sustained wind speed dropping to 70mph. The winds are expected to continue weakening during the night and the weekend.

Police in Wilmington, North Carolina, said a mother and her child were killed when a tree fell on their house. Another person died in Pender County, North Carolina where emergency services couldn't reach a woman with a medical condition who called for help. US media reported that a fourth person was killed while plugging in a generator in Lenoir County, North Carolina.

United States President Donald Trump is expected to visit hurricane-hit zones "early to the middle of next week" when his travell "will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts," the White House said.